Books with author Amy Bates

A timeless tale of friendship by New York Times bestselling author Amy Hest. Once there was a small dog with crooked ears. He belonged to no one.And once there was a wisp of a girl named Lia. . . .The dog who belonged to no one spent his days quite alone. . . . He longed for a friend. No one takes notice of a small dog with crooked ears who doesn’t have a home. He explores the narrow streets and wide boulevards every day, while across town a little girl named Lia pedals on her bicycle alone, delivering breads and cakes. Both dream of finding a friend, until fate brings them together. With lyrical text by New York Times bestselling author Amy Hest and tender watercolors by illustrator Amy Bates, The Dog Who Belonged to No One introduces readers to two timeless characters who will touch hearts as they discover how they belong to each other.

After a young boy’s beloved pet passes away, he encounters an adorable stray dog on the beach. The boy tries to walk away and ignore the cuddly creature, but the puppy continues to follow him, undeterred. Though the boy is still dealing with the pain of his loss and feels afraid to care about a new pet again, as the two walk the sand together, the boy slowly opens himself up to the joy of having a new dog in his life and making peace with the past. New York Times bestselling Amy Hest and Amy Bates, the beloved team who created The Dog Who Belonged to No One, have created a touching story about new beginnings and how friendship and love have the power to heal.

It’s the last week of school for seniors and Kelly has eight finals to pass—one for each class, and one for her life. Kelly’s a mechanic and she’d rather work on cars than take her tests, but she has no choice, not even when it becomes apparent someone is sabotaging her. It starts with pranks that might be simple senioritis, but why are all the pranks aimed at Kelly? Who dared touch her beloved Thunderbird? Who wants her to flunk out? And then things get really deadly…

Becky gets to spend the whole summer on a beautiful island, babysitting one little boy who is no trouble at all. It’s a dream job. There’s even a possible romance developing with the boy next door. Her employer is one strange lady who doesn’t seem to have a clue how to care for her own child, but that’s what she hired Becky for. Besides, she’s not around much so it’s not much of a problem. But the phone calls that ring and ring behind a locked door are a problem, and the accidents that no one really believes are accidental, and the rumors of who might be responsible for them. It’s not that easy to escape from an island if you don’t have a boat and are afraid of the water. Becky is stuck where she is, with a boss and a maybe boyfriend she can’t completely trust. But she’s going to have to trust someone, so she will have to choose between them if she wants to survive the summer.

After a young boy’s beloved pet passes away, he encounters an adorable stray dog on the beach. The boy tries to walk away and ignore the cuddly creature, but the puppy continues to follow him, undeterred. Though the boy is still dealing with the pain of his loss and feels afraid to care about a new pet again, as the two walk the sand together, the boy slowly opens himself up to the joy of having a new dog in his life and making peace with the past.New York Times bestselling Amy Hest and Amy Bates, the beloved team who created The Dog Who Belonged to No One, have created a touching story about new beginnings and how friendship and love have the power to heal.

In the early days of telephones a party line was one phone connection shared by several households. Then, before the internet, a party line was like a chat room by telephone where people talked instead of using the computer. Now there’s one in Mark’s town and he’s addicted to it. When you’re anonymous and invisible it’s a lot easier to talk to girls…or to eavesdrop on them. It’s an expensive habit and Mark is grounded from doing it, but he still hasn’t stopped. Local girls have been disappearing and Mark begins to suspect the disappearances are connected to the Line, maybe to the oily-voiced guy who keeps trying to get personal information from girls. Everybody lies on the Line and no one believes Mark, so he begins his own investigation. Now it’s a race between Mark and the unknown kidnapper and if Mark doesn’t win, someone he’s beginning to care about very much could be next.

Linnie, Ming and Jackson don’t like fakers, the people who cheat, lie and climb over others to get what they want. They make up a game to get back at them. The object is public humiliation, which the kids figure is appropriate retribution for cheaters. But the game goes wrong, almost as if it is playing itself. Or could someone else possibly have taken it over? When a student on their “hit” list dies, Linnie, Ming and Jackson know they have to do something to stop a game that is out of control. But how do you stop something when you can’t figure out the rules?

The parents are on vacation and Abbie and Brett have the house and the car to themselves. It should be heaven, but it doesn’t take long for the bad stuff to start happening. Someone tries to run Abbie over, and leaves bizarre and threatening notes for her. Joey’s had a harmless crush on her for years. Has it suddenly gotten out of hand? Something awful is going to happen. Abbie needs to talk with someone but not even her best friend will listen to her premonitions. Who do you turn to when you can’t trust anyone? Abbie had better figure it out because someone seriously wants her dead.